School program

Schoolchildren’s health condition oftentimes indicates that there are some underlying problems. It is said that school is that environment that not only provides education but is also the foundation for a healthy atmosphere for children’s growth and development. After all education has always been considered to be that cornerstone for a healthy and developed society as well as one of the main stimulating factors in the process of civil culture and democracy. However the picture is different in case of children from needy families creating additional obstacles for them and the high number of applicants indicates that they are in despair. The start of school year is a reason for children’s excitement, for new opportunities, for resuming their favorite games and activities, but sadly, not all of them are able to participate in all of their classes throughout the school year due to lack of school supplies.

This despair is more obvious during the fall and winter seasons when heavy rains and strong winds arrive, and instead of enjoying a daily school life, the children start facing the problem of bitter reality and the financial hardship in their families since it is simply impossible to prevent poverty with any successful academic achievement. Unfortunately, nowadays there are thousands of children like these, with the same rights and needs that are not only in need of clothing and school supplies, but also in need of warmth, and even parental love, moreover they often go to bed with an empty stomach.

Every year, thanks to generous and caring people, Diaconia Charitable Fund helps hundreds of children to be able to attend school, preventing them from the burden of worrying about everyday difficulties by helping to defeat challenges by their only weapon-knowledge.

The psychological situation is more difficult for children in their first year of school. Their expectations are high-to meet their future classmates, cheer and proudly enter this new stage of their life. However these children witness their parents’ despair, they are unable to understand why they are poor to an extend that having a clean white shirt and a backpack full of school supplies may long remain a dream.

Attending school is free of charge in Armenia, children are given free text books for each grade. They have to return the books to school at the end of school year so that others can receive those books and continue studying. Children must show up in school well-groomed and with all the necessary supplies. In order to archive this each child requires about 40 000-50 000 AMD.

Starting in the month of May, many applicants reach out to the Fund with the request to provide the necessary school supplies and clothing for their children, knowing that their application will be carefully reviewed by the Fund and will be taken care of in a timely manner. And in this matter, next to us are our donors, the true friends of the Fund, who push things through with their kindness and humanity. It is thanks to them that opportunities open at the beginning of each school year for those children who had no hopes of attending school, who made streets their home and future, getting farther and farther from the hope of having a decent life and proper education. We are very proud of our statistics that allows us to observe those young boys and girls over the course of time who had desperately reached out for help to charities and now they are among the best students of their schools.

Giving a child an opportunity to attend school means making him a stronger person by spirit, body and mind; this makes him a well-rounded person. This is our main aspiration and we are proud of being a small part of this chain.